The summer is flying by with graduation parties, a part-time job and preparing to head off to college in just a few short weeks.

If you’re moving into a dorm, you’ll have a few basic furniture pieces when you arrive. However, you have a ton of stuff to display and store but not much space for it all. Just think of those books, folders, papers and electronics you need for class. Plus, you have to make the dorm feel like home with your favorite photos and possessions on display.

So rather than hiding stuff under the bed and tossing files on the floor by your chair, keep your roommate happy and plan to bring some extra storage along. These bookcases, storage areas and contemporary small desks take up very little room but still offer enough space to keep you organized between classes.

Here are a few of our favorite college furniture finds.

The Bush Furniture Cabot 6 Cube Bookcase provides a half-dozen storage cubbies in a compact package, spanning just 31 inches in width and a depth of 12 inches. The Espresso Oak, Harvest Cherry and Heather Gray finishes will work well in your dorm and could even look sharp in your first home or apartment a few years from now.

Set up the Bush Furniture Buena Vista Laptop End Table next to the bed and work in comfort with everything you need by your side. Rest your tablet or laptop on the pull-out shelf, or stash them in the storage and charging area. Open up the front of the storage compartment without having to move your lamp or picture frame from the back of the table top. Conceal cables and enjoy easy access to outlets while placing a printer, storage bin or even late-night snacks on the sturdy bottom shelf.

Add a stylish storage solution to your room with the clever and compact Bush Furniture Alamosa Ladder Bookcase. Display photos, books and knickknacks of all shapes and sizes on the four shelves. The Classic Black finish works well anywhere – from dorm rooms to first homes. Lean the Ladder Bookcase against the wall and get organized without taking up much room.

Brighten up your dorm room with the Bush Furniture Vantage Corner Desk in Pure White. The small desk features plenty of storage but also has a space-saving design, allowing it to fit comfortably even in a tiny room or apartment. Organize your workspace with three drawers, an open cubby shelf and vertical closed storage space so you never lose track of your notes, assignments or books.

For more furniture finds from TV stands to coffee tables and desks, visit bushfurniture.com/collegefurniturefinds.

We had to start living on our own somehow, and the dorm was it. I know what you’re thinking when you hear me say those words: terrible roommate, infinitesimal living quarters, communal bathroom, and possibly party central. I was fortunate to experience only the communal bathroom, which was not actually that bad (and had really good water pressure in the showers.)

It’s funny how places like that make you function. Mine was two things for me: a place to get some sleep (once and a great while, if I was lucky enough) and a refuge when school got too overwhelming. It was the place from which my adult existence stemmed, and where I feel I really started to learn about myself as a person. Quite importantly, I did not do this alone; my room came equipped with a wonderful roommate – Roomie #1, as I called her. She was one of the greatest parts of living in the dorms, and we ended up living together three out of four years in college.

Our decently sized room was a perfect starting place…for college, for adult life, and for our friendship. It had everything two freshmen needed, with an elevator right outside our door to the left, a laundry room to the right, dining hall downstairs (we could go in our pajamas!) and a bathroom just around the corner in the hallway. If you think about the mechanics of all of this, we subsisted together in just one room and, save a couple small disagreements, really loved our time there. Although we had a large room by comparison to many dorms, space was occasionally a little tight. Despite that, we decorated freely with posters on the walls and fairy lights hung around the large window.

We never worried about was our desks; they were provided for us. We had the option to buy a hutch for them, but my parents made me one instead for a fraction of the cost. However, even now as I work at a furniture company I realize not every school may provide their students with optimal furniture choices so they can work well. If you’re getting ready to make the move to a dorm or are planning on helping someone else, consider a Buena Vista Laptop End Table or the Wheaton Corner Desk that both fit perfectly and economically into small spaces. Even in dorms, “stuff” can accumulate very quickly: let our furniture help you out.

Years later, I’m proud to say we decorated well in our dorm room. That was a formative year, and we did it right. I can’t believe so much time has passed from the day we first moved in – it was seven years ago, now – but decorating that space was the springboard for apartments to come. Check back soon for the second installment: transitioning from dorms to apartments!